Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that his government was launching a new relief package of Rs28 billion per month” to cover the poor from the burden of petrol and diesel price hike”.
In his first address to the nation — a day after his government removed energy subventions and increased the price of petrol by Rs30 — he said it was because of the former government that he’d take the” delicate decision” to increase energy prices with a” heavy heart”.
Under the relief package, the premier said, 14 million poor families, comprising 85 million people, would be given Rs2000 per family.
He said this was in addition to the financial backing being given to them under the Benazir Income Support Programme.” This relief package will be added in the coming budget,” the premier said.
He further said that he’d directed Utility Stores to set the price of a 10 kg sack of flour at Rs400.
PM Shehbaz said his government’s move to increase energy prices was necessary to avoid Pakistan from facing ruin.
” The former government is designedly concealing data. I want to remind them that you entered into a deal with IMF, not us. You accepted their harsh terms, not us. You pushed the country into a profitable mess, not us.”
He nominated the PTI government’s decision to grant energy subvention as a” trap” for the forthcoming government.
” Petroleum prices are adding worldwide but they( PTI government) subsidized energy despite knowing that the storeroom can not bear its burden.”
PM Shehbaz recalled that he’d proposed a” duty of frugality” nearly four times agone but” my offer was rejected with misprision”.
He said the duty was imperative so that no government could use the frugality for the sake of politics, adding that he’d reach out to all political parties for dialogue on the matter.
The political reconditioning process has started
He said the former government’s term also proved expensive for Pakistan on the political front.
” A most trusted friendly country — the bone that supported us in all delicate circumstances — was made worried. But we’ve started the reconditioning process,” the premier said in an apparent reference to the United States.
He also recalled that the peremptory government reversed all measures taken by the ex-government that checked the freedom of speech, including scrapping an offer for the controversial Pakistan Media Development Authority.
The premier said he took charge of the government at a time when the country was facing a myriad of heads.” We knew the remedial measures will take important trouble and time to yield results, but we still took up the arm for the sake of the country.”
Without naming former PM Imran Khan, he said falsehoods were spoken to the nation about a” foreign conspiracy” to further” political pretensions”. He went on to say that” this man hurt political relations of Pakistan for his particular interests.”
Shehbaz said Pakistan would be run according to the Constitution and not according to the solicitations of an existent.
Relating the profitable failures of the PTI government, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan was burdened with Rs20, billion debt is taken by the former autocrats while the current financial time’s budget deficiency stood at Rs5, bn.
